Happy 18th
by Lucifer Rosemaunt
Summary: ErikRaoul slash fic. Raoul’s depressed. Christine’s a lovesick girl. Phantom’s a bit of a pansy, a tad delusional, and a stalker. Nothing really angsty, just random humor, gayness, and fluff.


Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own... All I own is an overactive imagination.

Summary: ErikRaoul slash fic. Raoul's depressed. Christine's a lovesick girl. Phantom's a bit of a pansy, a tad delusional, and a stalker. Nothing really angsty, just light humor and fluff.

Warning(s): homosexual content, slash!

Pairing(s): ErikRaoul

, does no one review! You guys are hurting my self esteem here.-.-; sigh even though you guys don't review, it's okay cuz here's another fic that just hit me. Literally, it fell from the sky and just hit me on the head. :oP Well, okay I lied, but whatever.

AU cuz well I'm changing some major plot facts. Let's just say, Phantom never kidnaps Christine but is still just her teacher. He hasn't murdered anyone lately either. He still demands his pay, but everything is relatively calmer. So, since that happens, you know that they're basically OOC.

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Happy 18th

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By: Lucifer Rosemaunt

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Philippe and Raoul pulled up to the Opera Populaire well before the night's performance. They were supposed to watch it together, but Philippe had been called away on an emergency business trip somewhere outside of Paris. Not only had Raoul not seen his brother in the morning or at lunch because he was off gallivanting to God only knows where, but the only time Raoul did see him was a few seconds before the carriage ride when he learned that his brother was leaving the city.

"Baby brother," Philippe tried to appease the sulking blonde.

"Don't call me that," Raoul bit back. He was sulking; he knew it, but he had good cause to. He was _supposed _to be spending the evening with his brother; after all, it was tradition since he was the only family he had left. Raoul had actually been looking forward to it, but no, Philippe had to go away on business.

"Raoul," Philippe tried again, "Stop sulking. You're acting like a child. You know I have to go."

Raoul was blatantly ignoring him.

"At least you'll have Christine to keep you company tonight," his brother was trying to look on the bright side, but still, Raoul was unaffected.

Without saying a word, Raoul exited the carriage once it had completely stopped.

"Raoul, wait," Philippe held out an envelope with a grin. "Don't open it until you're absolutely mad at me, okay?" Seeing the look on Raoul's face, he added, "And now doesn't count. Just keep it in your pocket and forget about it for now. Open it after the opera. Have fun, okay?" Philippe finished earnestly.

Raoul sighed and placed the envelope in his pocket. He was mad at his brother, but whenever he went on trips, Raoul couldn't help but worry. "Be safe, brother. I'm just disappointed is all."

"Don't worry. Today is just another day. We can do this again sometime."

Raoul flinched at Philippe's words. They hurt, but he tried to put on a brave face. His brother had a lot of things on his mind and they were probably more important than he was, so he forced a smile and waved as he watched his brother's carriage leave.

Sighing again, Raoul walked into the Opera Populaire. The opera house was surprisingly empty and quiet. He knew that everyone would be in the back preparing for the performance. He considered going to visit Christine but in all likelihood, the Phantom was talking to her, he thought to himself more bitterly than he would like to admit. Every time he went to visit her, Raoul would hear the Phantom speaking to her through the door.

The first time, he knocked to see what was happening. He might've had to protect her. Raoul was well aware of the fact that a man masquerading as an Opera Ghost terrorized the whole building. Christine was a dear friend; he wanted to make certain she was safe. When he had received no answer, he'd just barged into the room. He flinched at the memory. He had received quite an earful when Christine had screamed at him, telling him that the Phantom of the Opera was just her teacher and nothing more. If you asked the Vicomte's opinion, it seemed as though Christine had a crush on her teacher. Still, no one asked him, so he kept the thought to himself. He found it odd for her to have feelings for someone she had never seen, but Raoul had also heard his voice and was rather impressed. More impressed than he let himself think about.

Christine had been rather cross with him for entering the room. In his defense, they had not been practicing her singing when he entered. Raoul rarely got to see Christine because it seemed that every single time he visited, the phantom would be talking to her. He was starting to believe he had really bad timing or that there was no opportune moment to speak with her.

He decided to forego that experience and took the long way to his own Box seat. The thought of Christine and the Phantom was making him more depressed. He was actually not sure if it was because of the thought of Christine or the thought of the Phantom. His thoughts always wandered to the mysterious man, but he figured it was because he was curious.

Today though was not going exactly as he had planned. He had been so excited when he'd woken up in the morning. Everything was going to be different and new. It was not everyday he turned eighteen. Philippe hadn't even wished him a happy birthday. In fact, he just thought that 'today is just another day'.

It was pointless being mad. He used to love his birthdays, but now, it seemed there was no reason to enjoy it. He was only getting older, and no one else seemed to care.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard voices coming down the hallway. It was the managers. Not really wanting to have to deal with them at the moment, he quickly entered the nearest box seat to hide out in. He leaned against the wall glad there was a curtain to cover him. He was so worried that he did not notice when the envelope Philippe had given him fell out of his pocket. He closed his eyes. His heart was beating furiously.

"Good evening, Vicomte," a familiar voice said, "I would offer you a seat, but I'd rather like to know what you are doing in my Box?"

Raoul opened his eyes slowly. It really was not his day today. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd just been hallucinating or something. The managers had said that the Phantom was a very dangerous person, and he didn't really want to experience that first hand.

No, not a hallucination. The Phantom sat facing the stage with his back turned to Raoul.

"I. Well, you see," Raoul struggled to find something to say. He just wanted to run right out of Box 5, but it seemed quite ungentlemanly especially since the Phantom had yet to really provoke him in any way. "I was just walking. Well, no, you see, my brother dropped me off early because he has some business. Then, I was here. And the managers," Raoul stopped mid-rant when the Phantom turned to face him. He caught sight of the porcelain mask on the man's face.

"Yes," that smooth voice answered civilly, unheeding of the fact that the Vicomte was staring, "I would hide from the managers, too. They can be so bothersome sometimes."

Raoul nodded dumbly. He couldn't help but once again wonder why he was wearing that mask. He had the greatest urge to just pull it off and find out what the Phantom was hiding. More than that, he could almost agree with Christine that the man was someone you could fall in love with. He was dashing, at least the part of the face he could see. Compound that with his voice and if what they said about him composing operas, then the Phantom was possibly one of the most eligible bachelors in Paris.

The Phantom's voice harshened as he spoke, "Now, get out."

The Vicomte recoiled visibly. He wondered where the civility had gone. He also wondered what the hell he had been thinking. He sighed again. No one wanted him around. Had he been thinking more clearly, Raoul would have been quite happy by the fact that he had encountered the Phantom and had gotten away completely unscathed, but he was already depressed and the dismissal just compounded amongst the others he had received the whole day.

Raoul reached his seat with no further disturbance. He was quite depressed by that time, so he just sat down and stared at the empty stage. His thoughts drifted towards the man in the mask.

Meanwhile, Erik was annoyed with himself. He did not want to admit to himself that seeing the boy dejected had gotten to him. He hadn't meant to be rude, but Raoul _had_ been staring and it always annoyed him when people stared. Well, he was sure he would be annoyed if he ever let anyone see him.

It was his fault though. When he had first seen Raoul, he had been intrigued. The boy was so full of life, and he had some inner light that just pulled at him. If Erik believed in love at first sight, he would have said that was what had occurred, but he didn't so he kept telling himself that he just wanted to make sure Raoul didn't do anything stupid to his Opera House. At least that's what he told himself whenever he followed Raoul through the hallways and really almost every moment Raoul was inside the building.

Whenever he saw Raoul heading to Christine's room, he would rush ahead and start talking to her. Christine would always tell Raoul to leave. Erik knew he should feel bad for doing so, but he also did not want to admit that he was jealous whenever he saw the two talk. So, he decided that he wasn't jealous. He was just being an evil mastermind by preventing Raoul's and Christine's relationship from ever forming. He figured it was best for his Opera House.

So, back to why the whole situation was Erik's fault. Well, he saw Raoul walking down the hall and knew that the managers usually walked down the same way. He was able to guess that Raoul would try to hide. It had just been rather good coincidence that the Vicomte had entered his Box. It allowed him to be there without having to think of a reason he was. And you know the rest. Erik felt guilty for making the boy depressed. He hadn't meant to.

Erik was self-conscious. Raoul was really one of two of the only people he had shown himself to (the other being Madame Giry), and that boy just stared. How else could he have reacted?

The Phantom stood up to find the boy when he saw an envelope on the floor. After reading its contents, Erik was livid. He shoved the letter back into the envelope and shoved that into his pockets. He wasn't sure if he should kill her, no him before or after the opera. Sitting down, he forced himself to take deep breaths. Why was he angry? There was no reason for it. More importantly, why was he angry at Christine? There was no reason for that either.

Shrugging all thoughts aside, Erik walked out of his box. He needed to walk. He needed to clear his thoughts. He needed to stop thinking of that boy. Unfortunately, his legs had a different idea. He found himself standing right outside what he knew to be the Vicomte's box.

Erik cursed under his breath. He was many things, but he was not a coward. He walked directly into the box ready to be angry at the Vicomte.

His anger died when he saw the dejected form of the blonde slumped over in his chair. His arms were resting on the railing and his head rested on his arms. It looked like he was staring at the stage, but when Erik looked, he could see nothing of interest there.

Erik cleared his throat trying to get his attention.

Raoul did not stir.

Erik cleared his throat again, louder.

Raoul slowly turned around. He was slightly annoyed that anyone was bothering him when all he wanted to do was be sad and alone. "What do you want?" Upon seeing the Phantom, he hastily stood up, "I didn't mean to say it like that. Is-is something wrong?"

Trying to hide his amusement, Erik didn't remember why he was angry at the boy in the first place. "Please, no need to get up for me. I shall just join you instead."

Shocked, Raoul sat down. "Wh-what," Raoul did not know where his stutter came from, or the blush. He cleared his throat, "What can I do for you, Monsieur?"

"Oh, nothing at all," Erik stated conversationally, "You just dropped this." He handed Raoul the letter.

"You opened it," the Vicomte stated, hurt and upset that the Phantom had invaded his privacy.

Erik was a bit embarrassed but hid it well, "I want you to stay away from Christine."

Raoul looked at him in shock. He was jealous. Christine was in love with the Phantom, and now he had just come to the conclusion that the Phantom was in love with Christine. The Phantom as good as said it. "Oh," he said dejectedly, "I'll try."

Raoul turned his attention to the stage. He didn't want to see the Phantom, right now.

The Phantom was confused; Raoul did not react the way he thought he would. He sat there not wanting to leave, but not really having any reason to stay.

"If you would like to stay, you can because I don't really feel up to watching opera today. So, if you'll excuse me," the Vicomte stood up to leave.

Erik panicked, "Aren't you going to read your letter?"

Raoul paused mid-step. Philippe had told him to read it after the opera, so it might have something to do with the Opera House. The Vicomte did not bother to sit down to read it.

_Dear Baby Brother (Raoul),_

_I know you probably don't like me right now. I received word this morning that I would have to leave today. I did all that I could here in Paris in hopes that I would be able to stay for your special day. I'm sorry I haven't seen you all day. I wasn't even able to stay. I'm sorry to leave._

_I hope I tell it to you in person, but if I don't have the chance, since I'm sure you will be angry with me:_

_Happy 18th Birthday!_

_We'll celebrate your birthday when I come back._

_I have noticed though that you've been spending a lot of time at the Opera Populaire. I've also noticed, as any good brother should, that you've been daydreaming about a certain someone. Lovesick boy, and you don't even notice it. So, as your present for yourself today, I'm telling you to go after whoever is making you smile like only first loves can. I know you've never been in a relationship before so I hope your first kiss goes well. I'm sure you'll do fine, you're a de Chagny, so of course you'll do fine. _

_Good Luck._

_Sincerely, _

_Your loving and most apologetic brother, Philippe_

Raoul stood there, dumbstruck. Love? He was in love; was that it? Was that why he was jealous? He just realized something, the Phantom had read this letter.

It was confirmed then, the Phantom loved Christine.

Raoul was about to leave again, but Philippe's words seemed to stay in his mind. He could not back down without a fight, so he turned around again to face the Phantom.

"Do you love Christine that much?" the Vicomte asked straightly.

The Phantom looked at him in surprise and bewilderment.

Seeing that the Phantom was not going to reply, he continued hurriedly, "I just want to know because I'm not going to let you go without a fight." Raoul had meant to say ' let Christine go', but it seemed his subconscious got the best of him. Now that he had said it though, he knew he meant it. He was in love with the Phantom. He wished he hadn't said it out loud though.

Unfortunately, Erik had heard his slip. In honest interest, Erik asked, "Did you just say what I think you just said?"

Raoul backed slowly toward the hallway. He did not want to answer that question.

"What did you just say?" Erik stood slowly from his seat.

The blonde did not know what to do, so he followed what his instinct was yelling in his head. He ran for it. He did not need the embarrassment of the Phantom laughing at him.

Today was not his day though for the Phantom caught up and grabbed his hand as he dashed through the hallway.

Raoul was breathless from the chase. He didn't want to turn around, but Erik pulled on his arm forcefully turning him.

"What do you want?" Raoul asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

Erik considered the question. He wanted a lot of things, but the one thing he wanted most at the moment was already in his grasp, literally. Now that he knew Raoul wanted him back, nothing was really standing in their way.

"I want to give you your birthday present," Erik replied, pulling Raoul closer.

Raoul was mesmerized by the look in his eyes. He knew what was happening, but he was not sure how to react. He knew he wanted to kiss the other man, but… he pushed his doubts aside. Philippe's letter pushed him closer.

Erik smirked when he saw the determined look cross Raoul's face. He was, however, caught off guard when the Vicomte practically pounced him. Rephrase, pleasantly caught off guard.

Erik kissed the Vicomte with as much passion as he could muster. The blonde's hands found their way into his hair and he moaned into the kiss.

When the blonde finally released Erik, he had been thoroughly kissed, not that he minded. Raoul let his hands fall on to Erik's shoulder's and Erik left his around the Vicomte's waist.

"I'll have to thank my brother," the blonde stated with a satisfied smile on his face.

"I'd have to agree."

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A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!

That was a weird place to end it, huh? Well, you know, I'll just keep it PG13 or is that PG? they only kissed. Well, there you go. I just decided to not work and just write fanfiction.


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